White Horse
by bigk4062
Summary: Left alone yet again after a canceled date with Seto, Joey begins to ponder his life and decides to make a change. J/K,J/M.
1. Waiting for the phone

_A/N: I got the idea for this fic while listening to Taylor Swift's 'White Horse.' While the plot does not follow this song exactly, little clips will be taken from it. As always, I do not own anything, except for a few random people who may show up. Anyway, this is a prelude to the rest of the story; hopefully it's not too slow. Read & review, and enjoy!!!_

Seto Kaiba looked at the clock and sighed. Another night, another date canceled due to his dim-witted employees. Picking up the phone, he carefully dialed his home phone number, pondering what it was he was going to say to get him out of this fight.

Mokuba Kaiba looked at the clock and sighed. He knew that the time was quickly approaching that his big brother would be calling to cancel his latest date with his boyfriend. Mokuba watched as the clock slowly moved toward 7:30, knowing that at any second the phone would be ringing. Making a quick decision, he closed the math book he had been working on and headed into the kitchen, getting ready for another night of ice cream and hearing about how annoying and rude his big brother was.

Joey Wheeler looked at the clock and sighed. He knew that the phone would be ringing soon. It seemed hard to believe that he would allow this behavior, but after 2 years of being together, Joey was use to Seto's insensitivity. Today was different though. He had just heard that his ex-crush Mai was in town and knowing that she had just broken up with her long-term boyfriend really throw him for a loop. Joey had known all along that he was bisexual, and that even though he truly loved Seto, there was still a place in his heart for the gorgeous blonde who had stolen his first kiss, and with it, a piece of his heart. The ringing telephone interrupted his thoughts, and while he reached for it, he hoped Mokuba had the ice cream ready. He also couldn't help but wonder where he would be know if he had stayed with his first crush.


	2. What might have been

**A/N: Yes, I do realize that the summary says that this fic is about Joey and Kaiba, but that does not mean that it is going to be a happy ending for them, just to give you all a little bit of warning. Anyway, a few different songs are going to pop up in this fic, but only at the beginning or the end, and probably not the whole song.**

_**And when you see your unborn children in her eyes ...  
You know you really love a woman.**_

When you love a woman,  
You tell her that she's really wanted.  
When you love a woman,  
You tell her that she's the one.  
She needs somebody, to tell her that it's gonna last forever.  
So tell me have you ever really ... really, really ever loved a woman?

_The first time Joey met Mai, he felt his body react like never before. In truth, it was the first time he had EVER been around a woman like Mai, and he finally understood the phrase 'drunk with love.' He just couldn't get enough of the older woman: her hair, her body, her smile. What really drew Joey to Mai, however, wasn't he looks, it was her self-confidence. Mai never took anything from anybody and she was not about using what she had to get what she needed. Mai had a fighting spirit, and Joey loved her for It, more with each passing day. It seemed for a while that Mai felt the same about Joey. After all, she flirted with him, kissed him more than once, and even let him take her out once. Of course, she had told him that they were only friends but that was not enough to deter Joey. He spent nights wondering what was wrong with him, why he couldn't get the older girl to love him. _

_The grieving went on till one day he was out with the blonde bombshell. The plan was that he would pick her up at the little rental apartment in downtown Domino after his last class and take her to the park to meet the rest of the gang. Joey reached her building, and used the key she had given him to get inside. Running quickly up the two flights of stairs, he paused at Mai's door to knock before he unlocked it. While Mai had given both him and Yugi a key in case of emergencies, Joey wanted to make sure that she knew he was there before he entered her tiny apartment._

_Joey opened the door to a complete mess. Clothes, shoes, Duel Monster cards, and various other kick-knacks were tossed all over the living room where a pile of boxes stood. Joey could see that the kitchen was already packed up, and that the boxes were sitting by the door. Slowly putting his key in his pocket, Joey shut the door and locked it behind him. "Mai?" He called out, looking around to see where the girl was. Mai appeared in the living room, looking like she hadn't slept a wink all night. _

"_What are you doing here Joey?" Mai asked, fiddling around with her blonde hair. _

"_We're suppose to be meeting everyone at the park today remember? We're celebrating the end of school and tomorrow's graduation. Everybody's coming; even Kaiba and Mokuba are shoing up." Joey reminded her, eyeing the boxes that were sitting by the door. Mai followed Joey's and froze. _

"_Let me just get changed" she said, and hurried back into her room, shutting the door firmly behind her. Joey attempted to find a place to sit, but gave up and just leaned against the wall, still eyeing the room critically. When Mai finally came out, Joey looked her up and down, and he couldn't help but be concerned. Instead of her usual getup, Mai was wearing a purple jogging suit that brought out her eyes. Joey couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since he seen Mai completely cover herself up, and he stopped short when he realized that he couldn't remember._

"_Are we ready to go Joey?" Mai asked, looking at the younger boy expectantly._

"_Yeah, I guess so." Joey muttered, looking one more time at the boxes before unlocking the door and flinging it open. Mai followed him wordlessly down the stairs, and into his car, barely managing to get herself buckled before Joey took off._

_Joey barreled down Mai's street not wanting to look at the girl who was sitting in his passenger seat. 5 minutes into the drive, Mai finally got sick of the silence between them._

"_Pull over." She said, lightly touching Joey's arm in an effort to convey the seriousness of her words. Without even signaling, Joey turned the car into a side street p, parked the car, and shut off the engine. He still did not look at Mai, deciding instead to stare at the steering wheel, trying to understand why he care about this woman so much._

"_I had a dream last night, it was about us." Mai said quickly picking at an invisible hair on her suit._

"_I remembered the time you said you love me and, in the dream, I told you I loved you back. We got married, we had kids, and we were so happy. Then, I woke up." Mai paused, glancing over to see if her words had any effect on the man next to her. Seeing that it didn't, she swallowed hard and continued. "When I woke up, I realized something. I do." With that, Joey's head snapped up, and he stared at Mai._

"_You do what?" Joey said, looking at the woman while barely being able to breath, wondering if she would finally admit to her feelings for him._

"_I realized that I really do love you. I can't help it, I'm just not… emotionally ready for what we could be. I see us together forever, with the picture-perfect life, two kids, a dog and a picket fence. I'm just not ready for this right now. Our lives are just beginning, and I can't…" Mai paused, looking out the window to try to collect her thoughts. _

"_So what you're saying basically is that you love me, just not enough to actually try to have a relationship with me. Is that it Mai?" Joey asked h, his eyes flashing a little at Mai's words. _

"_Joey, I want it to be that way, and it could be like that, one day. I can see us having babies, sitting in bed while they jump around, and just being happy, but not now. Not when I'm 19 and you're 17. We're too young, I want to see more of the world, and you, you need to go to school and get a really good education. Then, maybe, we'll be ready." Mai said, reaching over to carefully kiss Joey on the cheek._

"_I was coming over to say goodbye tonight, and to tell you one more thing…. I love you." She said, quietly, and Joey looked at her for a long moment before turning the car back around and heading towards the park. _

_**I wish I could just make you turn around,  
Turn around and see me cry  
There's so much i need to say to you,  
So many reasons why  
You're the only one who really knew me at all**_

So take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space  
And there's nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face  
Now take a look at me now, cos there's just an empty space

But to wait for you, is all i can do and that's what I've got to face  
Take a good look at me now, cos I'll still be standing here  
And you coming back to me is against all odds  
It's the chance I've gotta take

_**A/N: The top song is Bryan Adam's 'Have you ever Loved a Woman' and the bottom is Phil Collins 'Take a Look at me now.' Thanks for reading.**_


	3. Lonely Hearts Club

_A/N: The last chapter took place 5 years ago, while this one is present time again. I'd like to say thanks to Journey Maker for being my first reviewer. I've never had someone review my fanfics so quickly, so this chapter is dedicated to her. One last thing, I went with Tea's Japanese name for this fic, Anzu. I just like it better. Actually, I like all of the Japanese names better, but I'm to lazy to make sure I spell them right. Enjoy!!!_

_**Say you're sorry  
That face of an angel comes out  
Just when you need it to  
As I pace back and forth all this time  
'Cause  
I honestly believed in you**_

Mokuba heard the phone ringing upstairs and sighed. Instead of just grabbing ice cream out of the freezer like he had planned, he grabbed his cell phone and called Yugi. The older boy had become sort of an anchor for Mokuba the past few years, and he didn't know what he would do without Yugi's ear to listen to him when Mokuba was complaining about Joey and Seto's relationship.

"Hello?"A voice answered, making Mokuba smile.

"Yami! I didn't know you were back in town already! How was your big tour?" Mokuba asked excitedly. Right after graduation, the Yami's all received their own bodies. In order to help pay for them to 'exist' as normal humans, they led Yugi's grandfather to a site which had help hundred's of ancient Egyptian artifacts. Solomon had sent them to the Domino Museum, took the profits and bought all three of the Yami's places to live, as well as fixing up his own shop. After putting enough aside to pay for the boy's college, Solomon donated the rest to various charities, telling his grandchild that he saw no need to keep the rest of the money sitting around when other people needed it.

After the discovery, Yami immediately took a job at the Domino museum with Ishizu, as part of his job, Yami traveled often to give lectures on ancient customs to different colleges around the world. His most recent trip had taken him over to America for almost two months, leaving his boyfriend Yugi home to help grandpa run the game shop.

Mokuba grinned as he heard the ancient Egyptian on the other line, even though he knew that Yugi would be too distracted for Mokuba to tell him about Joey's newest Seto problem.

"I just got back a few hours ago. Yugi and I were debating whether or not to get the gang together tonight. Mai's back in town, and we thought everyone would like to see her." Yami said, smiling a little.

"I don't know if Joey would be up for that. He's getting into another fight with Seto about a canceled date." Mokuba stated, staring absently into a bowl of fruit.

"That sounds pretty bad Mokuba. Maybe we should plan something for another night." Yami suggested, knowing how bad Joey's situation was after talking to Yugi.

"Let me talk to Joey and see what he feels like doing. I'll see if he's too upset right now to go do something."

"Alright Mokuba, give us a call back when you talk to him." Yami suggested saying a quick good-bye before handing up the phone.

Mokuba sighed before gently placing his cell phone on the counter. Debating what to do next, he quietly walked up the steps and stopped at the door. Leaning against it, all he could hear was a muffled banding noise, as well as the sounds of someone arguing with himself. Hesitating slightly, Mokuba knocked on the door, opening it when he heard Joey's tired voice telling him to come in.

Joey looked up as Mokuba entered the room, and couldn't help but smile at the younger boy's appearance. While the past 5 years since the gang graduated from High School had done little to change Joy's looks, Mokuba's growing into puberty had definitely agreed with him. Only an inch shorter than his brother, Mokuba's big hazel eyes had retained their puppy dog look, and his straight black hair had undergone a hack job to be less fluffy. While it was sill long, it no longer looked like Mokuba never combed it. It also helped him to look older than his almost 18 years, but he still was able to twist just about anyone around his fingers.

"What's up Mokuba?" Joey looked up at the younger Kaiba brother. "I was just talking to Yami. He wanted everyone to get together tonight, but I wasn't sure how you were feeling right now." Mokuba told Joey, shifting his weight nervously while he waited for the other boy to answer.

"I don't know Mokuba; I was kind of planning other things tonight." Joey said, eyeing his cell phone. "On the other hand, why don't we have everyone over since Yami's back in town? Mai called me earlier and wanted to see the gang sometime while she was in town for the week, and I think it would be fun to have a little get together. Who knows maybe Kaiba will make it home in time to see everyone." Joey said, his voice lowering slightly at the mentioning of his boyfriend. "Alright, so who should be invited then?" Mokuba asked pulling a notebook out of Seto's beside table.

"Well, let's see. We've got Yugi and Yami. They can call Bakura and Ryou, and Marik and Malik. Ishizu's out of town, so she's out. I'll call Mai and Serenity, and you can get Tristan, who can call Duke if they aren't already together. I'll call Anzu to. I think that she has the night off from her dance class. She can bring that new guy she's been seeing." Joey said, counting off on his fingers to make sure none of his friends were forgotten.

"I think that covers everyone, I go use my cell." Mokuba said, "Should we have anyone bring anything?""

"Just tell them to bring whatever." Joey said, and then he picked up his phone.

Mokuba turned to leave, hesitated, and looked back at Joey expectantly. "What did Seto say to you?" He questioned, looking at Joey's crest-fallen expression, trying to read the boys expression.

"He told me that he was sorry that he couldn't make it tonight and so on and so forth. I told him that I couldn't take it anymore. I just told him that I must have mistaken him for someone who gave a damn about me and his little brother, and hung up. I should know by now that Kaiba was" Joey said, looking back down at his cell phone. "Why don't you go make those phone calls Mokuba so we can get people over here?" Joey smiled at the younger boy, trying to assure him. Mokuba nodded and left, pausing once again to look at Joey before he went downstairs.

Joey waited for the door to close before picking up the phone and hitting his last dialed number. Waiting for it to ring, he glanced over at a picture of him and Seto, his mind wandering when a female voice answered the phone.

"Hello?"

_**Well, excuse me, guess I've mistaken you for somebody else,  
Somebody who gave a damn,  
Somebody more like myself.**_

_**These foolish games are tearing me apart,  
And your thoughtless words are breaking my heart.  
You're breaking my heart.**_

_A/N: The top song is Taylor Swifts 'White Horse.' The bottom is Jewel's 'Foolish Games.' Thanks for reading. (Thanks to Yami's aibou for pointing out my goof. I'm such a dork sometimes =)_


	4. Slowing coming apart

_A/N: I would like to thank Yami's Aibou for pointing out my booboo in the last chapter. Even us writers are prone to stupid mistakes once in a while =)_

_**I was stealing kisses from a boy  
now I'm begging affection from a man  
don't you know who I am,  
Take a look at who I am.  
I'm stealing kisses.  
Stealing kisses.**_

"Hello?" The voice on the other end of the phone answered.

"Hey sis, it's Joey, sorry about that, Mokuba came in and I didn't want him to know what's going on yet." Joey said, trying hard not to start crying. "Anyway, we're giving everyone over to hang out tonight. I was going to tell Mokuba first, then everyone when they are here."

"Sounds good big brother. We can talk more about everything when we get there." Serenity said.

"Aright, I'll see you in a little bit sis, I got to call Mai. Bye." Joey said, telling his sister that he loved her before hanging up. Joey quickly called both Mai and Anzu, who both agreed to meet at the Kaiba mansion in an hour. Once he finished calling, Joey stared at his cell and sighed, knowing that it was time to go talk to Mokuba.

"Alright Tristan, we'll see you and Duke in a little while. Yeah, just bring whatever. Bye." Mokuba hug up the phone and sighed. He couldn't believe that everyone was going to be able to show up tonight. Feeling a lot better about everything that had been happening lately. He began to pull down bowls and plates from the cupboards, pausing only to call security to let them know about the incoming visitors.

Joey watched Mokuba dancing around the kitchen and he couldn't help but smile at the younger boys' antics. He couldn't bring himself to talk about what had happened before between him and Kaiba. Instead, he headed towards the fridge to pull out some snacks for his friends. Mokuba eyed Joey carefully, wondering where to start. "Joey, why are you calling my brother Kaiba again? I can't remember the last time you said that name." Mokuba asked, trying to casually arrange some easy-bake cookies on a tray while he nervously waited for Joey to answer.

"He's just got me in a tight spot right now Mokey. I call him and beg him to find time for me in his little schedule, and he tells me that he can't. I just don't understand why he feels that way about us. Finally, he told me if I feel that way about our relationship, I could just leave. "Joey admitted, looking carefully at the younger boy. "I asked him if that was what he really wanted, and he just blew me off and told me that he'd call later."

Mokuba stared at his brother's boyfriend before slowly shaking his head. "I'm sorry that he talked to you like that Joey, what are we going to do now?" Mokuba asked, beginning to fear what Joey was going to tell him.

"Well Moke, I guess I am going to leave. Serenity's bringing boxes with her tonight, and I'll find a hotel to stay at until I get an apartment and a better paying job. I'm waiting for a call-back at the mental health clinic anyway." Joey admitted.

Mokuba looked around the big kitchen and frowned. "What about the apartment downstairs? It has a separate entrance, bathroom even a kitchen. You can stay there until you get back on your feet. Maybe it'll even give you and Seto a chance to work things out." Mokuba suggested, hope coming to life in his eyes that perhaps the situation wasn't completely hopeless.

"I don't know if I want to work things out with your brother, Mokuba. He treated me like crap and expects me to sit around and wait for him while he sits at Kaiba Corp and plays on his little computer. He barely tolerates my friends, and he still acts like he's better than Yugi. I know that I love him, but sometimes that isn't enough for two people to make it." Joey stated, remembering the time Mai left him along.

Mokuba was still trying to marshal his arguments when the doorbell rang. Running into the foyer, he managed to make it to the door right before the maid did.

"Yami!" Mokuba yelled, leaning down to embrace the 5,000 year-old Pharaoh." I'm so glad that you guys are here. I need some major help with Joey right now; he's pretty upset at big brother right now." Mokuba stated sadly, hanging his head down low.

Yugi appeared behind Yami and smiled at Mokuba. "I guess tonight wouldn't be a good time to announce our good news then." Yugi stated, holding up his hand to show off the ring on it.

3"yami asked you to marry him!!" Mokuba shouted, shoving the pharaoh aside to tackle Yugi into the ground in excitement.

"Technically, Yugi asked me. I just had the rights ready for when I worked up the nerve to ask him." Yami said, smiling at his fiancé and friend's antics.

"What's going on out here?" Joey asked, appearing in the doorway to stare at the pile on the ground.

"Yugi and I are engaged." Yami told him eyeing the blond haired boy carefully to gauge his reaction.

"Congrats!" Joey smiled, wrapping his arms around Yami before jumping in on the other two who were now wrestling on the ground.

After about five minutes Yami finally managed to get everyone to go inside. By that time, Serenity had arrived, followed by Bakura and Ryou. They all said their congratulations to Yugi and Yami, and then preceded to wards the living room where Mokuba had set up all of the food.

Finally, everyone was there but Mai. When the door bell rang, Joey rushed out to answer it. Opening the door, he saw the blonde-haired woman standing there with a big grin on her face.

"Hello Joey." She said, walking into the foyer to wrap her arms around him. Joey gently hugged her back, closing his eyes as he remembered the last time he had hugged Mai. Right in the middle of his memories, the sound of someone clearing their throat. Joey's eyes snapped open, and he blinked in surprise at who had just entered the home.

"Kaiba?" He asked, looking at his boyfriend in shock at the taller boy in front of him.

"Hello Mai." Kaiba said, ignoring the man who had been his boyfriend for the past few years.

"Kaiba, it's good to see you again. I was hoping that you would come home before I left." Mai said, flipping her blonde hair around before letting go of Joey. "I'll leave you two alone now. I'll just follow the noise to find everyone.

Kaiba followed Mai's departure with his eyes before turning back to Joey. "So, I guess this really is it." He stated, before turning and walking back out the door.

_**One is breaking into two  
And my heart is turning blue  
And you still don't get it, do you, do you  
I thought we had all the love to go it for the long run  
So before the damage is done  
Let's start back over at one**_

_A/N: The top song is Faith Hill's 'Stealing Kisses' and the bottom is her 'One.'_


	5. One more try

_A/N: In case anyone's wondering, I took Kaiba's name off of the listed characters so it just says Joey now. I'm not sure how this fix will end yet, so I don't want anyone freaking out on me._

_**Almost made you love me  
Almost made you cry  
Almost made you happy, baby **_

_**Didn't I, didn't I  
You almost had me thinkin'  
You were turned around  
But ev'rybody knows  
Almost doesn't count **_

Joey stared at the retreating figure of his soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. Making a quick decision, he ran off after the taller boy, knowing that this was his last chance to make things right.

After a couple of missed turns, Mai finally made it to the living room where the rest of her friends were hanging out.

"Mai!" serenity squealed, running over to give the older girl a hug, followed by Anzu. Tristan and Duke both waved, while Yugi, Yami and Ryou were too busy at first to even acknowledge that she was there. Bakura was too busy talking on the phone to say anything to Mai. Marik and Malik were out of the room, attempting to find a few dishes to place more food on.

Mai smiled at all of her friends as she settled down on the couch next to Bakura. He gave her a quick nod before going back to his phone call.

"Where's Joey?" Mokuba asked Mai, after noticing that his fellow housemate had failed to come back to the party.

"I think he ran after Kaiba. He gave me a hug when I showed up and your big brother happened to arrive in the middle of it." Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and turned, looking at Mai curiously.

"You mean Kaiba's here? He told Joey that he was going to be at work all night and we came over here to keep Joey company." Yami stated, looking discretely over at Bakura, who nodded quietly before picking up his cell phone again.

Marik and Malik finally made it to the kitchen and found a few bowls. Piling the chips they had bought into them, the two Egyptians turned around to head back to the party.

"Hey Marik, do you remember which way we came from?" Malik asked his boyfriend, realizing that he did not know exactly where in the mansion they were.

"Kaiba needs a frigging map for someone to get around this house." Marik stated, opening the door and realizing that he wasn't sure which hallway to take. "Maybe we should just start running around screaming and hope that someone hears us and comes to find us." Marik suggested, staring at the endless maze of hallways in front of them.

Just then, Marik's cell phone began to ring in his pocket. Flipping it open, he realized that Bakura was texting him.

"Why is he texting me? We're like 20 feet away from him!" Marik growled, trying to remember which key to press so he could read the message.

"Give it to me." Malik growled in frustration. He pushed 'OK' on the phone and handed it back to his boyfriend.

"Bakura says that we need to stay here for a few minutes until he tells us that it's OK." Marik read, looking at his boyfriend with confusion clearly written on his face.

"I wonder what's going on." Malik asked.

Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and find out won't we." Marik smiled, settling into one of the barstools that lined the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"Is Kaiba still here?" Yami asked, eyeing the door to see if he could escape quickly or not.

"I think so, Joey was starting to go after him when I was coming in here, so I'm assuming if he didn't catch Kaiba when would have come back in here." Mai stated, reaching for the vegetable tray to grab some carrots.

"So, they've been out there for almost 10 minutes already!" Yugi exclaimed feeling a little worried as he remembered the way that his best friend and Kaiba use to fight. He then snuck a look at his fiancé, to which Yami nodded, then slipped out the door.

"How much longer are we going to sit there? I wanna go play bowling on the Wii with Mokuba." Marik whined, crossing his arms in front of his chest and sticking his lower lip out.

"We've only been in here for two minutes. Stop acting like we've been locked in this room forever." Malik told him, rolling his eyes at Marik's childish behavior.

"Really, Marik, I know you've chilled out since we first met, but acting like a baby is low even for you." Yami stated, gliding into the kitchen and standing next to Malik.

"So, what's going on Yami?" Marik asked, leaving forward to hear the Pharaoh better.

"Basically, Kaiba's pissed at Joey. They got into a fight earlier because Kaiba doesn't come home enough. Kaiba came home a few minutes ago to find Joey giving Mai a hug, and he apparently did not like that too much."

"So we've got a pissed off Kaiba to deal with, is that what you're telling me." Marik said, looking around the room quickly. "And I don't even have my… wait a second!" Marik shouted, pushing the chair back. "I have an idea!"

"Seto, will you please stop and talk to me." Joey begged, trying in vain to reach his boyfriend before Kaiba left again.

"Why should I listen to you Joey? I tried to make things work with us. I spend time at KaibaCorp because that's my job. When things go wrong, I have to fix them. When things run smoothly, I still have to spend time making sure that nothing does go wrong. I barely sleep, I don't eat right, and I do things to help keep my company afloat. All around the world, the stock market is crashing, CEO's are being tossed out on their ear if they do not perform, and I can't afford to slip up. When I do get a chance to come home, I am so tired I can barely stand, and you expect me to spend all of my free time with you and Mokuba. I can't take this stress from you anymore!" Kaiba yelled, turning on his heel to give Joey one of his famous 'Kaiba glares.'

"I understand what you are saying Seto, I really do. I just wish that you would realize how hard this is for me to." Joey said, reaching for his boyfriends' arm.

"Yeah, I see how hard it is for you when you've got Mai hanging around wanting you back. How convenient is it for you that she comes back into the picture just when I can't be here because of work." Kaiba's blue eyes grew cold, and he stared even harder at Joey, completely voided of all emotions.

"Don't do this, Seto. I know I had feelings for her, but I love you. I LOVE YOU." Joey told Kaiba, trying one more time to reach for his boyfriend. Before Kaiba could answer, Marik came running towards them at full speed with Malik and Yami right behind him. As they passed Joey and Seto, Malik paused to catch his breath, while Yami continued his pursuit of Marik.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kaiba snapped at Malik, starting at him angrily.

"Marik wants to send Yugi to the Shadow Realm with the Rod since he beat me in a video game and teased Marik about me being a loser." Luckily, the Rod's not in the car, I left it at home in cause Marik's decides to get mad at someone." Malik managed to state between breaths, smiling as Yami and Marik appeared from behind Kaiba's car.

"You happy now Malik, you just had to go and ruin all my fun." Marik pouted, storming back inside. Malik quickly followed after him, while Yami began to follow, but hesitated before looking at Joey and Kaiba.

"You guys coming in to?" Yami asked, watching both of their reactions carefully.

"In a minute Yami, we'll be right there." Kaiba answered, watching as the shorter boy disappeared back into the house.

"I want you out of my house." Kaiba hissed at Joey. "Move your stuff out of my room and into the apartment by Sunday, and I expect you gone as soon as you find a job." Kaiba finished, looking straight at Joey's tear-stained face.

"But Seto, why don't you understand how much I love you. Please let's try to work this out. I pro-"Joey begged, stopping when he saw Kaiba's face.

"No, you almost loved me. You almost cared about me more than anything. But you still love Mai. I know that every time I see that look on your face, every time we discuss our future, every time I think of us being together forever, that she is still going to be there. I'm so sick of it, and I won't put up for it b anymore. Now if you'll excuse me." Kaiba turned and slip into his car, turning the engine on and pulling away before Joey even had a chance to respond.

_**What hurts the most  
Was being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watchin' you walk away  
And never knowin'  
What could've been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do**_

_A/N: The top song is Brandy's 'Almost Doesn't Count.' The bottom is Rascal Flatt's 'What hurts the most.' _


	6. Remembering when

_**So don't lead me on  
If you're gonna stay around  
Cause I don't wanna be one  
If you're on the rebound  
i can't be with you  
Not matter how good it sounds  
Cause I don't wanna be your fool  
If you're on the rebound**_

(9 Months Later)

"Come on Mokuba, we need to get going. We're supposed to pick Mai up at the doctors then meet everyone at the wedding shop." Joey shouted, looking frantically around the living room for his car keys.

"I'm coming Joey! If Mai wouldn't leave her clothes everywhere in this room, we wouldn't have a problem." Mokuba pouted, trying to remember which of the two outfits Mai had said she had wanted. "I mean, you've only been dating for a moth, how did she get so much stuff over here already." Joey shrugged as he nudged a laundry basked full of clothes off the couch. "She doesn't have as much stuff her as someone else I know." Joey replied, giving Mokuba a pointed look. "Sometimes I feel like I have two roommates instead of living by myself."

"You're the one who told me you'd give me the spare bedroom once you found a place Joey. Besides, it's not like I stay here all the time." Mokuba said, finally remembering which dress Mai had requested.

"I know Mokuba. I wouldn't want to be alone in that Mansion either. I'm glad that you're here, it really helped me get over this whole thing with Set- with Kaiba." Joey said sadly, settling his gaze on a spot on the carpet.

"I know Joey. I'm just glad that you and I could still be friends. Mokuba said, entering the living room with dress in hand. "Come on, we need to get going before Mai kicks us out of your apartment."

"OK, let's go." Joey said, getting up to leave the apartment.

"Uh, Joey? I think you forgot something." Mokuba reminded him, pointing at the keys that were sitting on the kitchen counter.

"Oh yeah, I guess we would need those, huh." Joey said, grabbing the keys. "Come on, we're going to be late."

Mai tapped her foot impatiently outside the doctor's office, wondering what was taking her boyfriend so long to pick her up. Checking her watch again, Mai decided to sit down on the bench right outside the building.

After she got settle, Mai thoughts began to drift back over the last few months………..

(5 Months ago)

_It took Joey almost three weeks, but he finally found a job at the local mental health building, specializing in helping depressed teenagers with their problems. Finding the job was the easy part, the hard part was finding a decent apartment. Luckily, Yugi's grandfather had made a few friends that were more than willing to help the young boy get on his feet. One of them owned a small apartment complex, and he gave Joey a decent discount in return for Joey helping out around the building when he was needed._

_Finally, 8 weeks after Kaiba had told Joey to leave, he was ready. Packing up all his things, Joey waited for his friends to come get him. _

_Mai showed up first, walking uncertainly onto the Kaiba grounds, remembering how uncomfortable things between her and Mokuba were. Mai knew the younger Kaiba blamed her partially for the break-up of his big brother and Joey, and she couldn't help but be grateful that Kaiba was out of town for a couple of months. Mai wished that she could help those two boys with their problems, but she hoped that she could at least help Joey with his pain._

_Reaching the door that lead to Joey's mini-apartment, Mai knocked, fingering the necklace that she was wearing absently._

"_Hey Mai, come one in. Joey's just packing up a few last things." Mokuba said, looking like he had been crying for days._

_Mai quickly walked inside the house before giving Mokuba a hug. "You look like you needed that kid." She said, reaching up slightly to ruffle the boys' hair. "I don't care how old you get, I still will think of you as that little 13 year-old brat that followed his big brother around and always got kid-napped." _

"_Thanks Mai. I was hoping you guys would forget all that craziness someday, it's nice to know that I will always have someone to remember my younger days with." Mokuba said sheepishly, feeling a bit better about what was happening that day._

"_Hey Mokuba, can I talk to Joey alone for a minute please?" Mai asked, looking pleadingly at the other boy._

"_Sure Mai, I'll just wait outside for everyone else." Mokuba said, smiling at the blond hesitantly before walking out Joey's door._

_Mai quickly walked into Joey's living/dining room; spotting the boy sitting on the floor looking like he had the weight of the world on his shoulder._

"_Hey Joey, can I talk to you for a second?" Mai asked, sitting carefully on the floor next to Joey. Getting no response, she decided to take a new approach. Reaching up to unclasp the chain around her neck, she took it off and placed it in Joey's lap._

"_What is this?" Joey said, looking down t the piece of jewelry in his lap._

"_That is the ring you gave me almost 5 years ago when I left Domino. I remember how upset you were when I left, and how you gave me this ring so I would always know you'd be there for me. I want you to have it back, so you'd remember that I'm here for." Mai took a deep breath before continuing. "I also want you to have it so you know that when you are ready for us, I am to." _

_Joey snapped his head up at Mai, word's before looking at her with confusion. "You mean, you want to get together with me?"_

"_Not right now. Eventually, when you are over Kaiba, yes. Just not right now. Keep the ring until you're ready for us." Mai smiled at Joey then kissed him gently on the lips before getting up and walking out of the room._

Mai's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a horn beeping. Looking up, she saw her boyfriend's car, with Mokuba hanging out of the back window. Picking up her purse, she walked quickly over to them, opening up the door and getting in before giving Joey a kiss and smiling at Mokuba.

"We'd better get going before we're late for our appointment Joey." Mokuba said, leaning back in his seat as Joey smoothly pulled into traffic.

Once they were out of sight, Seto Kaiba slowly sat up in the car he had rented. Turning on the engine, he began to follow Joey's beat up Toyota, wondering when he would get a chance to finally talk to the blond again.

_**  
Tell me that you're happy that you're on your own Yeah, yeah, yeah  
Tell me that it's better when you're all alone  
Tell me that your body doesn't miss my touch  
Tell me that my lovin' didn't mean that much  
Tell me you ain't dyin' when you're cryin' for me  
Tell me what it takes to let you go  
Tell me how the pain's supposed to go  
Tell me how it is that you can sleep in the night  
Without thinking you lost everything that was good in your life to the toss of the dice?  
Tell me who's to blame for thinkin' twice**_

_A/N: The top song is Drew Seeley's 'Rebound.' The bottom is 'What it Takes' by Aerosmith._


	7. Watching and Waiting

_A/N: I couldn't help myself on the first song. I thought of it after reading someone's complaint that Kaiba was turning into a stalker. I'm even going to tell you who sings it, see if you can guess. (Bonus points for the first person to remember who this song was the first hit for._

_I always feel like somebody's watching me_

_And I have no privacy, whoa-oa-oa_

_I always feel like somebody's watching me_

_Who's playing tricks on me?_

Kaiba winced as he saw his ex kiss Mai. He didn't know what to do. On one hand, he wanted to make Joey listen to him, but on the other… he wasn't sure what it was he wanted Joey to hear. Joey was a strong-willed individual, and he would not just thrown himself back into Kaiba's arms with a simple apology. Then, there was Mokuba. From the phone calls he had exchanged with his brother, Kaiba realized how attached Mokuba really was getting to Mai, and the idea of Joey and Mai being together. Kaiba decided to keep following the group, waiting for a moment to snag Joey by himself.

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Yugi looked up as Joey walked in, Mai and Mokuba right behind him. Joey was rolling his eyes at whatever the other two were talking about, smiling at his best friend.

"So what's going on with those two?" Yugi asked, gesturing towards the two still arguing in the background. Joey just looked at them and sighed.

"Mokuba told Mai that she was too many clothes at my apartment and that she is choking him out. Mai responded by telling Mokuba to get out if he didn't like her stuff, and somehow it turned into the two of them fighting over who would look better in their wedding outfit and then…" Joey allowed his voice to drift off, throwing his hands up in the air to show his frustration. Yugi couldn't help but laugh at Joey's face before addressing the two fighting behind them.

"Hey guys, you ready to try on your dresses?" Yugi asked, winking at Joey.

"Yeah, Mai's just jealous that I look better in women's clothing than she does." Mokuba said, sticking his tongue out at the blonde woman before grabbing the tux that Yugi was holding out to him and starting to head towards the fitting room, the other three right behind him.

"I hope you don't this from personal experience Mokuba" a voice interrupted from behind the foursome. They all turned around in shock while Mokuba shouted out "big brother" and ran into Kaiba's waiting arms, dropping his tux on the floor, while Yugi, Joey and Mai just sat there, staring.

"What are you doing here Seto? I thought you had that big meeting in Europe this week." Mokuba asked, looking over at Joey quickly to see if he was alright.

"Yes, I did, but it got over with quicker than I expected, so I thought I would surprise you by coming home for a few days." Kaiba answered, looking over at the group and nodding. "I used the GPS on your phone to find you; I'm surprised you did not notice me following our guys..." Kaiba scolded Mokuba lightly, before placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Anyway, I'm just here to wish you guy's congratulations on the engagement, and then go home and relax." Kaiba said, extending his hand to Yugi, who shook it carefully, almost as if he was afraid of the taller man. "The last time we saw each other it was not on the best of terms, so I thought this would be better time to give my best wishes. Is Yami here? I'd like to talk to him before I leave also" Kaiba asked.

"Yeah, he's in one of the dressing rooms trying to convince Duke that nobody wants to see his butt in tight pants. Go ahead in and see if you can find them." Yugi said, pointing towards a set of dressing rooms, which Kaiba headed towards. "Oh, and Kaiba, if you want you can stick around and go out to dinner afterwards with us. I'm sure we can add you to our reservation." Yugi said, gesturing towards the maze of dressing rooms once again.

"I guess I can work that into my schedule, thank you Yugi." Kaiba said, nodding at Yugi.

"You go ahead Seto, I'm come find you in a second and you can help me with my tux!" Mokuba said, dancing around a little to show how excited he was to have his brother sticking around for a little it. Pushing Kaiba towards the dressing room, he gave his brother a reassuring smile before turning back towards his group. "I just need to grab my tux and I'll be right there Seto!" Mokuba told his brother, waiting for Kaiba to turn around the corner before turning back to Joey with concern. Grabbing the other boys arm, he looked into Joey's eye and grinned.

"Mokuba, it's over. It has been months since your brother and I have broken up, and if you and I stay friends, I will have to deal with him at some point." Mokuba nodded at Joey's words, while Mai linked arms with him.

"Come on, I'll protect you from your big bad ex." Mai said, giggling as Joey wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss. Yugi and Mokuba rolled their eyes playfully at this public display of affection before Yugi pushed them towards the fitting rooms.

"You guys need to start trying on things. I have to wait for Tea to get here from dance class, then I'll be back to check on you guys."

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Ok, I think we finally found on!" Yugi shouted, dancing around the dressing rooms in excitement. "I never thought finding a dress would be so difficult, thank god I'm not a woman." Joey muttered, eyeing the rack of dresses that were piled up next to Mai and Tea's dressing rooms.

" Well, if your girlfriend's boobs weren't so freaking big, we wouldn't have this problem." Anzu stated, her voice a little muffled behind the dressing rooms door.

"I'm sorry that I'm a DD while you're barely a C, but you'll just have to suck it up and deal." Mai stated, stepping out of the dressing room with her 19th dress of the evening.

"Maybe blue was not the best color for this wedding; it seems all the blue dresses just do not fit right at all." Joey said, taking in the dress his girlfriend was wearing before grinning.

"Listen, I'm the one getting married, Joey, and if I want blue, then we will find a blue dress." Yugi insisted, sending his best friend a look before turning back to Mai. "Can you turn around so we can see the back, Mai?" Yugi said, smiling at the blonde as she turned in a full circle. Yugi and Joey carefully looked over the dress, Yugi to see how he liked it, and Joey to make sure it wasn't to revealing. The dress was a strapless knee-length dress, in a bright sky blue that showed off Mai's sun-tanned skin. While they were observing, Tea stepped out of her dressing room and stood next to Mai. Mai immediately reached around Tea to help her with the belt, making it fit better around her hips.

"I think we found one, we'll just have to get them fitted, which will not take too long at all. Alright girls, take 'em off so we can get going." Yugi said, clapping his hands together in excitement. "I can't believe that we took so freaking long to try on dresses, I'm starving." Joey muttered, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Come on Joey, only a few more minutes, then we'll meet the rest of the group at Guido's" Yugi said, handing Joey the dresses Mai and Tea had hung over their doors. "Take these up front and tell Lisa we will be back the day after tomorrow to have them fitted. And tell her thanks again for staying open later for us." Joey took the dresses up font, leaving Yugi to deal with the two dressing women.

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"So, how are the arrangements going to be for the wedding, Yami?" Bakura asked, digging into one of the various appetizers the waitress had just brought. "Well, Yugi and I are both going to have a best man and Maid of Honor. Mine are going to be Tea and Tristan, and Yugi's are going to be Mai and Joe. Ryou, Malik and Mokuba are going to be Yugi's groomsmen, and you Marik and Duke are going to be mine. Mai and Anzu are going to be in charge of the rings, while Tristan and Joey are planning the party." Yami told the group before turning towards his former rival.

"Hey Kaiba, I don't know if it reached you, but there is a wedding invite for you also." Yami stated casually, reaching for a chicken wing to occupy his hands with. "

Mokuba did mention something to me, but he never gave me a concrete time or anything." Kaiba said, looking playfully at his little brother.

"Well, Seto, I didn't think you would ever come back for their wedding." Mokuba whined, looking more like his 13-year old self than usual.

Kaiba couldn't help but smile as he ran his hands through Mokuba's hair. "So when is the bid day Yami?" Seto asked turnings towards the other man.

"Three weeks from Saturday, the 15th of August." Ryou answered, causing everyone to look at him.

"Thanks for answering, Yami" Kaiba stated dryly, empathizing the word 'Yami.' "I did not realize you had finally started taming that hair of yours." Ryou blushed a little, while Bakura flashed the billionaire a dirty look. Without even really noticing what he was going, Ryou placed his hand on Bakura's leg and smiled at him, trying to calm down his boyfriend.

"Jeez, we were only gone 5 minutes and Bakura looks like he's going to kill someone already. What did we miss?" Marik asked, sliding into his chair, Malik sitting down next to him.

"Kaiba was just harassing Ryou, that's all." Yami informed the two Egyptians, smiling as he spied his finance and the rest of his friends coming through the restaurant.

"Hey, where are we supposed to sit? There's no room!" Joey asked, staring Longley at the empty plats in front of his friends.

"Relax Joey; they are clearing out the backroom for us. The party that was there before got a little rowdy and left the room a mess." Tristan told his friend, rolling his eyes at how sad Joey was. "Aright then, if we are waiting for a room, I'm going to freshen up. Tea, want to come?" Mai asked, turning towards the smaller girl.

"Sure, I need to take care of my face, anyway." Tea said, touching a mark under her eye. Marik and Bakura both giggled, earning them smacks upside the head from their partners.

"Come on Tea, let's leave these boys to pound their chests and grunt." Mai said, leaving a peck on Joey's cheek before glancing over at the Kaiba boys. She could not help but notice the pained look on the younger Kaiba's face, along with the slightly longing glance the elder Kaiba made before he froze up again. Biting her bottom lip, Mai turned and led Tea away; knowing Kaiba was going to pounce the second she left.

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Kaiba walked up slowly to Joey, knowing that this would probably be the only chance he had to talk to the blonde. _"The only good thing about him dating Mai is that he can't follow her into the bathroom to hide from me" _Kaiba thought, smirking a little. Just then, Joey turned around, staring at Kaiba with slightly scared eyes.

"What do you want Kaiba?" Joey asked, looking nervously at the taller brunette standing over him.

"Why do I always seem to want something Joey? Can I not just talk to an old friend?" Kaiba asked, smiling at Joey's nervous appearance. "I just wanted to talk to you, can we go somewhere outside for a second?" Joey began fighting with his hair, contemplating if this would be a good idea. Finally, he sighed and nodded, allowing Kaiba to lead him outside.

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Joey shuffled his feet anxiously as he waited for Kaiba to start speaking. While he didn't want to admit it, part of him wanted Kaiba to beg him to take him back. Even though Joey knew that he would never actually do it, the thought of Kaiba actually apologizing for what had happened made Joey feel warm and fuzzy inside. Of course, knowing Kaiba, he would probably find a way to blame the whole thing on somebody else like Mai. Joey frowned a little before diverting his attention back to the man before him.

"What do you want Kaiba? You know how I get when I'm not fed promptly." Joey said, eyeing his ex-boyfriend.

"All I want to do is to give you this." Kaiba said, handing Joey an envelope before turning around and walking back into the restaurant. Joey paused for a minute before opening it and staring at the contents inside.

_Are you still in love with me  
The way I am with you  
Do you feel your heart is breaking  
After all that we've been through  
Heaven knows where you are now  
The more I wonder why  
And the only thing that I regret  
We didn't say goodbye_

_- Didn't Know Love Would Break My Heart  
Jocelyn Enriquez_


	8. Wedding day blues

_Bells will ring, the sun will shine, whoa-oh-oh  
I'll be his and he'll be mine  
We'll love until the end of time  
And we'll never be lonely anymore because we're_

_Goin' to the chapel  
And we're gonna get married  
Goin' to the chapel  
And we're gonna get married  
Gee, I really love you  
And we're gonna get married  
Goin' to the chapel of love_

Joey stood in the church, nervously fingering his tie. Next to him was Tristan, who was trying to help Ryou keep Bakura from ripping off his tux and running out of the room.

"What's taking so long? This weddings going to take forever already, why can't we just get going already?" Yugi rolled his eyes before giving Bakura an icy grin.

"It's my wedding, and if I want to wait until everything is perfect, we will wait until everything is perfect. Now , if you would like things to go smoother, maybe you could go into Yami's room and help him convince Marik that he cannot use his Millennium Rod during the service, or at the party to help 'liven things up?'" Yugi asked sweetly, putting his hands on Bakura's back and pushing the tomb robber towards the door. Once Bakura disappeared, Yugi turned towards Ryou. "Can you go supervise, an please take Tristan with out for support?" Yugi asked, before turning to Duke. "Could you make sure they girls are ok, and check to see if Serenity needs help with anything?" Duke nodded, following Ryou and Tristan out of the hotel suite. Finally, Yugi turned to Joey, a strange; I'm not going to tolerate this today look in his eyes. Joey watched his best friend nervously, wondering what the shorter boy wanted. Finally, after two minutes of just staring, Yugi spoke. "Joey, I need you to promise me that you and Kaiba are not going to be fighting today. I'm not dealing with it today. Please, just make sure there are no problems today. Joey nodded at his best friend before smiling nervously.

"Trust me Yugi; I don't want to upset anyone. Yami may allow Marik to have the Rod just so he can 'take care of things' for you guys." Joey grinned at Yugi before sinking down into one of the over-stuffed chairs. He pulled out a warned envelope. Gently pulling out a piece of paper, he held it out to Yugi, waiting for the shorter man to read it. Yugi skimmed the letter carefully, shocked at what he was seeing.

"he wants you back? Wasn't this whole thing his idea to begin with? Does he really thing that you are going to leave Mai for him?" Yugi asked, spitting out his questions in rapid succession, looking Joey in the eye to hopefully get an answer from his friend.

Joey shook his head before looking Yugi directly in the eye. "I'm not going to leave Mai for him. Mai deserves better than that, and I want to give it to her. She's been through so much, the loneliness and the rejection from so many people who she loved, and she never thought anyone could love her back. Well I love her, and I've loved her since the day we met, and when she's ready, I will marry her and have children with her. It would have happened before, but Mai wasn't ready. Kaiba came when I was waiting, and I fell for him, thinking that maybe Mai was never going to be ready for what we were going to be. Kaiba was right, part of me always loved Mai, but when we were together, I would have given him the world. He chose to leave, and while I will always care about him, I'm not going to look back and wonder what could have been. I may love Kaiba, but I am in love with Mai, and I have been for years, before I ever felt anything for Kaiba but pure hatred, and I don't see the way I feel about Mai changing." Joey stated calmly, looking straight a Yugi without flinching.

Yugi smiled at Joey before hugging him tightly. I'm so happy for both of you; I just hope that-"Yugi's thought was cut off by the sound of a door opening and a blur of black hair.

11111111111111111111111

Mokuba wandered around the hotel, trying to remember what room Yugi was in.

"I know it was on this floor somewhere, but which room was it?" The younger Kaiba brother muttered under his breath. Pulling out his phone, we was about to call Yugi and find out where he was when he spotted Bakura, Ryou and Tristan coming out of one of the rooms. Waving at the older boys he stopped in the hallway waiting for the other boys to reach him.

"Hey guys, Yami sent me over to come see you he's having some trouble with Marik and he needs backup." Mokuba rolled his eyes, wondering how long it was going to take to get this wedding started already. Bakura smiled at the younger boy, glad that someone else was getting tired of all the delays and distractions.

"Yea, Yugi sent us out to go convince Marik to get rid of the Rod for the party" Tristan explained, causing Mokuba to frown. "How did Yugi know that Yami needed him? That's the whole reason why I'm here in the first place. If Yami was just going to call Yugi, why did he send me the whole way down here?" Mokuba asked, perplexed.

"I don't think Yugi knew anything from Yami. I mentioned that Marik had brought the Rod and Yugi sent us out a few minutes later to distract Bakura from getting to antsy." Ryou explained, patting the other boy on the shoulder.

"How about you go in and reassure Yugi that everything's taken care of?" Ryou suggested, handing Mokuba a room key.

"This is for the other hotel room, but they're adjoining, so just go through the inside door."

"Sounds good to me!" Mokuba said, accepting the key card the other boy was holding and waving goodbye to the trio. Entering the room, Mokuba walked over to the side door, but he paused when he heard Yugi's slightly muffled voice coming through the door. Mokuba reeled back from the door, his hand falling away from the knob in shock. _"Seto asked Joey to come back to him? But when? Why didn't Joey at least give Seto a chance to fix thing?"_ Without even thinking, Mokuba reacted on his to his most basic instinct, to hurt anyone who hurt his big brother. Re-grabbing the door handle, he quickly turned it, lunging at his brothers ex as soon as he saw the blonde.

_Goin' to the chapel  
And we're gonna get married  
Goin' to the chapel  
And we're gonna get married  
Gee, I really love you  
And we're gonna get married  
Goin' to the chapel of love_

Both songs are Chapel of Love from the Dixie Cups.


	9. I'll hit you

"How could you! You know that my big brother still cares about you, and you don't even give him a chance to explain himself to you!" Mokuba shouted attacking the blonde causing both of the boys to tumble to the ground in a mess of limbs.

Joey immediately tried to flip over, but Mokuba saw what he was trying to do and managed to keep Joey on the ground. Finally, Mokuba loss some of his energy, and Joey tried again to flip himself on top. This time, using his height and weight advantage, he succeeded. Mokuba glared at Joey, and started to swing again at the blonde. He was still angry enough to cause the older man some serious damage if he actually landed a punch. Luckily Mokuba's anger compromised his accuracy and Joey was able to keep the other boy from landing a punch on him. Finally, Mokuba tired and Joey took the opportunity to find out what was wrong.

"Mokuba, what's going on? What are you so upset about? Mokuba just glared at Joey while Yugi finally got over his shock and looked over at the door.

"Uh Joey, I think Mokuba overheard our conversation that we just had" he said, looking with concern at the two on the ground. Joey looked briefly at his best friend, before looking down again at Mokuba.

"I gave him a chance and he blew it. I begged him to try, begged him to come home and be with me, with us. I moved into the other apartment for a month, game him a chance to work on things, and he refused! What else was I suppose to do?"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

But Yami, if we use the Rod, then people can just blame it on the booze!" Marik whined, clutching his Rod protectively to his chest. Yami turned towards Malik, silently counting to ten in his head, desperate to stay and control and not let Marik get to him.

"Please Malik, can you convince him to just behave today. We really do not need a bunch of old people being controlled by Marik. These are Yugi's grandpa's friends and they deserve a little bit of respect not being mocked by an Egyptian Tomb Keeper who's got nothing better to do with his time than play with people's lives!" Yami stated, his voice rising by the end so he was almost yelling in Malik's face. The youngest Egyptian frowned at the Pharaoh before turning towards Marik and rolling his eyes.

"Marik, please, just put the Rod away. It's not worth the fight over it." Malik begged, holding out his hand towards his boyfriend.

"Fine" Marik pouted, extending his hand towards Malik and placing the Millennium Rod in his boyfriend's hand. Marik, still pouting, turned and stalked over to the couch, plopping down and glaring at his two companions. Just then, the doors opened, revealing Bakura being pushed in by Ryou and Tristan. Bakura frowned at the other two boys and rolled his eyes.

"Are you guys done fooling around so we can get this thing over with already? I want to get to the party and have a drink already!" Bakura stated, storming over to the couch and sitting down next to Marik. Marik shot his friend a small grin, which Bakura responded to by crossing his arms and glaring at the other men in the room. Yami rolled his eyes at the other two boys before smiling at Ryou and Tristan.

"So I take it that Mokuba found you guys and sent you over here to help out huh?" Yami said, walking over to his friends.

"No, Yugi sent us over. He figured that you would need some extra help getting Marik ready after he found out that Marik brought the Rod. Plus, Bakura was getting restless, so Yugi thought he could use a change of scenery for a bit." Ryou said, smiling at Yami.

"well, wasn't' that nice of him. He figured I was getting a headache from Marik, so he decided to turn it into a migraine with Bakura." Yami stated drily, silently cursing his soon to be spouse under his breath.

"Yea, I know, Yugi just loves you doesn't he." Bakura snickered, nudging a Marik who was turning red from trying not to laugh. Yami shot yet another dirty look at the two on the couch before sighing and rubbing his temple, feeling his small headache getting even worse. Ryou smiled at his friend before motioning towards Malik. "Why don't we get going back to the other side? Remember Yami, if you need anything, you can text one of us, and you have Tristan here for backup." Tristan smiled at this, giving the two trouble-making Egyptians a grin. Yami smiled at Tristan, and shot a look at the two cranky Egyptians on the coach.

"Serenity should be ready for us soon, at least I hope so." Ryou added, turning to leave. Yami grinned at Ryou before shaking his head. When Yugi was working on the wedding plans, serenity didn't think that she could come to the wedding because of work. When her plans changed a few weeks before, Yugi had insisted that she have some kind of role in the wedding. Finally, serenity had agreed to help keep an eye out for any troublemakers at the reception, as well as take over as the wedding planner and make sure everything ran as smoothly as possible. Yugi had tried to get her to be the flower girl, but serenity had balked at the idea,, promising both the boys that she was happy with the role she was given. She had later told Yami that she didn't want any kind of role that put her in the center of attention, since she didn't know most of the people there.

"You know, speaking of which, we should get going, it's almost time to get this wedding started." Malik mentioned, snapping Yami out of his thoughts. Malik waved at Yami and mouthed 'good luck' before following Ryou out of the room.


End file.
